Legal enactment dates for counties often vary from effec-tive date of organization and beginning of record maintenance. The latter date is the one reflected in the following chart. Inventory sheets from the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives and the Kentucky Historical Society were used for beginning dates of some records. Land records may pre-date county organization because records were transferred from the parent county.

Dates given for court records may apply to one of many court records located in the county seat (see Kentucky Court Records). Not all records are extant from the first date given.

For all records, it is advisable to direct correspondence to the county official at the county courthouse address listed in the following chart to determine present location and availability of records. In many cases, the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives will hold either the original or microfilm records.

The Historical Records Survey, Guide to Public Vital Records in Kentucky (Louisville: Historical Records Survey, 1942) was used to extract some information found in the following county listing. County formation information comes from Wendell Holmes Rone, Sr., An Historical Atlas of Kentucky and Her Counties (Mayfield, Ky.: Mayfield Printing Co., 1965). It contains photographs, chronologically arranged maps, and historical data from 1772 through 1856. Campbell and Kenton counties have two county courthouses.

Microfilmed county records in the Family History Library collection were used to confirm dates of extant records for each Kentucky county. Although in some cases one or more published works cover a broader period, dates shown reflect those of original documents microfilmed in the county repository. In a few cases, the earliest date may be for an order book or survey rather than more substantial court minutes or deeds.

Map

County

County Address

Date Formed

Parent County(ies)

Birth

Marriage

Death

Land

Probate

Court

E7

Adair

424 Public Sq., Columbia 42728-1451

1802

Green

1852

1802

1852

1801

1804

1802

D8

Allen

201 W. Main St./P.O. Box 336, Scottsville 42164-0336

1815

Barren/Warren

1852

1815

1852

1816

1815

1826

F5

Anderson

151 S. Main St., Lawrenceburg 40342-1192

1827

Franklin/Mercer/Washington

1852

1827

1852

1827

1827

1827

This is a big fat note that I am hoping will appear in the right place.

A2

Ballard

424 Court St./P.O. Box 145, Wickliffe 42087-0145

1842

Hickman/McCracken

1853

1853

1853

1842

1842

1842

This is a big fat note that I am hoping will appear in the right place.

D7

Barren

117-1A N. Public Sq., Glasgow 42141

1799

Green/Warren

1852

1799

1852

1798

1798

1798

H5

Bath

Main Street/P.O. Box 609, Owingsville 40360-0609

1811

Montgomery

1852

1811

1852

1811

1811

1811

H8

Bell

P.O. Box 157, Pineville 40977-0157

1867

Knox/Harlan

1874

1867

1874

1867

1869

1867

F3

Boone

2950 E. Wash. Sq./P.O. Box 874, Burlington 41005-0874

1799

Campbell

1852

1799

1852

1799

1800

1799

G5

Bourbon

310 Main St./P.O. Box 312, Paris 40361-0312

1786

Fayette

1852

1786

1852

1786

1786 (wills)

1780

K4

Boyd

2800 Louisa St./P.O. Box 523, Catlettsburg 41129-0523

1860

Carter/Lawrence/Greenup

1859

1860

1859

1860

1860 (wills)

1860

F6

Boyle

321 W. Main St., Danville 40422-1848

1842

Mercer/Lincoln

1852

1852

1852

1842

1842

1800

G3

Bracken

116 W. Miami St./P.O. Box 147, Brooksville 41104-0147

1797

Campbell/Mason

1852

1797

1852

1797

1797

1797

J6

Breathitt

1137 Main St., Jackson 41339-1194

1839

Clay/Estill/Perry

1852

1852

1852

1873

1873

1838

C6

Breckinridge

P.O. Box 538, Hardinsburg 40143-0538

1800

Hardin

1852

1860

1852

1800

1800 (wills)

1803

D5

Bullitt

149 N. Walnut St./P.O. Box 6, Shepherdsville 40165-0006

1797

Jefferson/Nelson

1854

1797

1854

1797

1797

1797

C7

Butler

110 N. Main St./P.O. Box 449, Morgantown 42261-0449

1810

Logan/Ohio

1853

1810

1853

1810

1810

1811

C2

Caldwell

100 E. Market St., Princeton 42445-1696

1809

Livingston

1852

1808

1852

1809

1809

1809

B4

Calloway

101 S. Fifth St., Murray 42071-2569

1821

Hickman

1852

1823

1852

1822

1836

1856

G3

Campbell

340 York St., Newport 41071-1682

1795

Harrison/Mason/Scott

1852

1795

1852

1795

1795

1791

A3

Carlisle

P.O. Box 176, Bardwell 42023-0176

1886

Ballard

1911

1886

1904

1886

1886

1886

E3

Carroll

440 Main St., Carrollton 41008-1064

1838

Gallatin/Henry/Trimble

1852

1836

1852

1795

1838

1838

J4

Carter

300 W. Main St., Grayson 41143-1298

1838

Greenup/Lawrence

1852

1838

1852

1838

1835

1838

F6

Casey

P.O. Box 310, Liberty 42539-0310

1807

Lincoln

1852

1807

1852

1807

1806

1807

A8

Christian

511 S. Main St., Hopkinsville 42240-2300

1797

Logan

1852

1797

1852

1797

1797

1797

G5

Clark

34 S. Main St./P.O. Box 4060, Winchester 40392-4060

1793

Bourbon/Fayette

1852

1793

1852

1793

1793

1793

H7

Clay

316 Main St., Manchester 40962-1265

1807

Madison/Floyd/Knox

1852

1807

1852

1799

1830

1809

E8

Clinton

212 Washington St., Albany 42602-1263

1836

Wayne/Cumberland

1852

1852

1852

1848

1863

1864

B2

Crittenden

107 S. Main St., Marion 42064-1563

1842

Livingston

1852

1842

1852

1842

1833

1842

E8

Cumberland

P.O. Box 275, Burkesville 42717-0275

1799

Green

1852

1799

1852

1799

1815

1820

B6

Daviess

P.O. Box 609, Owensboro 42302-0609

1815

Ohio

1853

1815

1853

1815

1812

1822

C7

Edmonson

P.O. Box 830, Brownsville 42210-0830

1825

Grayson/Hart/Warren

1852

1843

1852

1825

1824

1824

J5

Elliott

P.O. Box 225, Sandy Hook 41171-0225

1869

Carter/Lawrence/Morgan

1874

1874

1874

1869

1966

1958

H6

Estill

P.O. Box 59, Irvine 40336-0059

1808

Clark/Madison

1852

1808

1852

1808

1808

1808

G5

Fayette

162 E. Main St., Lexington 40507-1334

1780

Kentucky (Va.)

1852

1803

1852

1787

1789

1787

H4

Fleming

Court Sq./P.O. Box 324, Flemingsburg 41041-0324

1798

Mason

1852

1798

1852

1798

1798

1798

K6

Floyd

P.O. Box 1089, Prestonsburg 41653-1089

1800

Fleming/Mason/Montgomery

1852

1803

1854

1806

1812

1808

F5

Franklin

P.O. Box 338, Frankfort 40602-0338

1795

Woodford/Mercer/Shelby

1852

1795

1852

1795

1795

1795

A4

Fulton

P.O. Box 126, Hickman 42050-0126

1845

Hickman

1852

1845

1852

1845

1845

1845

F3

Gallatin

P.O. Box 1309, Warsaw 41095-0616

1799

Franklin/Shelby

1852

1799

1852

1799

1799

1799

F6

Garrard

15 Public Sq., Lancaster 40444-1057

1797

Madison/Lincoln/Mercer

1789

1797

1852

1797

1797

1797

F4

Grant

101 N. Main St., Williamstown 41097-1107

1820

Pendleton

1852

1820

1852

1820

1820

1820

A3

Graves

101 E. South St., Mayfield 42066-2324

1824

Hickman

1852

1887

1852

1887

1882

1858

C6

Grayson

10 Public Sq., Leitchfield 42754-1199

1810

Hardin/Ohio

1852

1852

1852

1896

1856 (wills)

1906

E7

Green

203 W. Court St., Greensburg 42743-1552

1793

Lincoln/Nelson

1852

1793

1852

1793

1793

1794

J4

Greenup

P.O. Box 686, Greenup 41144-0686

1804

Mason

1852

1803

1852

1811

1822

1807

B5

Hancock

P.O. Box 146, Hawesville 42348-0146

1829

Daviess/Ohio/Breckinridge

1852

1829

1852

1829

1820 (wills)

1834

D6

Hardin

P.O. Box 1030, Elizabethtown 42702-1030

1793

Nelson

1852

1793

1852

1793

1793

1793

J8

Harlan

P.O. Box 670, Harlan 40831-0670

1819

Knox

1852

1820

1852

1820

1829

1821

G4

Harrison

190 W. Pike St., Cynthiana 41031-1242

1794

Bourbon/Scott

1852

1794

1852

1794

1794

1794

D7

Hart

P.O. Box 277, Munfordville 42765-0277

1819

Hardin/Barren

1852

1852

1852

1783

1819

A6

Henderson

P.O. Box 374, Henderson 42419-0374

1799

Christian

1852

1806

1852

1797

1799 (wills)

1816

E4

Henry

P.O. Box 615, New Castle 40050-0615

1799

Shelby

1852

1800

1852

1799

1765

1803

A4

Hickman

110 E. Clay St.,Clinton 42031-1296

1821 (1822)

Caldwell/Livingston

1852

1822

1852

1822

1822

1822

Although Hickman was created in 1821, county administration didn’t become effective until 1822.